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Elyssa Koidin Schmier

Senior Campaign Director, National Early Learning and Budget

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Elyssa is the Senior Campaign Director, National Early Learning and Budget for MomsRising. Her career has been focused on legislative and policy work in the field of poverty policy. She previously served as the Deputy Policy Director for the Jewish Council of Public Affairs and as a Legislative Representative for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Elyssa has also worked in Senator Edward Kennedy’s Office, as well as Representative John Tierney’s office. She received her bachelor’s degree from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and her master’s degree in government at Johns Hopkins University. Originally from Swampscott, MA, Elyssa now resides in Ann Arbor, MI.

When did you realize moms have superpowers?

“Growing up watching my mom's involvement in local government and seeing how much people depended on her and respected her. It was a life lesson in the power of one individual in government.”

Blog Post List

This week, Jewish families around the world are celebrating the holiday of Hanukkah. Hanukkah is an eight-night "festival of light" that celebrates the the miracle of the Jews, led by the Maccabees, defeating one of the mightiest armies on earth, the Greeks, against all odds. Many families light a menorah (adding a candle each night), play games with a dreidel , eat foods made with oil ( latkes and sufganiyot !), and spend time with loved ones. When I was growing up there weren’t a ton of Hanukkah books available. They were fairly basic, mostly about latkes or Maccabees . But all that has...

Early voting has already started in California! Woohoo! This means you and your friends, family, and neighbors can make their voices heard at the ballot box today—you don’t have to wait until November 6th! It’s exciting stuff! I don’t know about you, but we #CantWait2Vote! ***Join us by pledging to vote early, absentee, or on Voting Day (November 6th!)! Let us know which method you’ll be using to vote (early, absentee, or Voting Day!) so you can inspire others to vote too! Studies show that seeing people vote inspires others to vote as well. And, after you click, we’ll send you a special “...

With everyone’s attention focused on the Supreme Court nomination and the upcoming elections, the U.S. House of Representatives is hoping to sneak through more destructive tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations! Good thing that moms have eyes in the backs of our heads! [1] And we won’t stand for another tax scam benefiting the 1% and paid for by cuts to vital healthcare, nutrition, and education programs. We need investments in our communities and the programs that boost our families and the economy! ***SIGN our letter saying "VOTE NO on Tax Scam 2.0, and while you're there, check out...

It’s crunch time in terms of securing a Farm Bill that protects SNAP (food stamps) and we need all the help we can get to ramp up energy and make sure our voices are heard by our elected officials! This is an urgent matter: 1 in 6 children in our nation are experiencing food insecurity and we can’t cut access to food now. It’s time to act. We have 3 very important, quick actions you can take to make sure you speak out and let your members of Congress know that we expect them to protect SNAP in the Farm Bill and guarantee that struggling families are able to get the nutrition assistance they...

Every once in awhile something uplifting and amazing happens in Washington, D.C.— and when that special something happens, it’s likely because moms, dads, and concerned people like YOU have spoken out! That’s what’s currently happening with the piece of policy (the Farm Bill) that funds and legislates important nutrition assistance programs like SNAP (or food stamps). We had a victory in June when the U.S. Senate passed a bi-partisan Farm Bill that protects SNAP. We need YOU to help us keep this momentum going! ***SIGN our letter to the U.S. Congress now asking them to protect SNAP in the...

Brainstorm with me for a second….what are some things the moms of America need? -Paid family and medical leave -Quality, affordable childcare and healthcare -Good schools and parks for our kids Here is one thing the moms of America definitely DON’T need: Another GOP-Trump Tax Scam that benefits the 1% and Wall Street and reduces federal revenues so our federal government can’t afford to pay for the things we really need. ***Sign our letter now telling the U.S. Congress stop proposing harmful tax cuts that mostly benefit billionaires and mega-corporations and instead give the moms America tax...

Our family’s health is important! Medicaid is health insurance that makes it possible for 2.4 million low-income children and adults in Michigan to get and stay healthy —making sure they can work and take care of their families. It allows them to see a doctor when they are sick, get check-ups, buy medications, and go to the hospital without fear of choosing between their health and groceries or paying their rent or mortgage. But the health care of many families is now at risk, especially for low-income people on the Healthy Michigan Plan. In June, Governor Snyder signed a rushed bill that...

I know the world feels chaotic right now with everything happening on the news (not to mention getting your kids ready for summer!) —and there’s a lot to keep track of. It’s easy to feel down and helpless. But that’s why MomsRising is here—to remind you of how powerful your voice is and what a difference speaking out makes in the lives of millions of families, including your own! One of the things we need you to speak out on this week is protecting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/food stamps) in the Farm Bill. We have some good news: The U.S. Senate heard your outcry...

Today we are marking the six month anniversary of the passage of the disastrous Trump-GOP Tax Plan. Who have the winners been? Millionaires, billionaires, and mega-corporations. Who have the losers been? Me, you, America’s working families, and our economy. But it doesn’t have to be this way! The so-called Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is still wildly unpopular even as some workers have seen a meager, short-term increase in their paychecks. People realize that it’s really a massive wealth shift to help the already wealthy get even more money! The rhetoric the president and GOP Congress used to peddle...

BREAKING NEWS: The Michigan Legislature has passed their terrible, horrible, harmful, and unnecessary Medicaid work requirements bill , and it will be heading to Governor Snyder’s desk in the coming days. This is our last chance to speak out and stop this bill, which would take away the health care of tens of thousands of Michigan families and harm our state’s economy. ***Sign our letter to Governor Snyder NOW and tell him to veto the Medicaid work requirements bill! We reached out to you a few months ago when we first got word that this horrible bill was moving through the Michigan State...

You spoke out and your voices were heard! On May 18th , the destructive GOP Farm Bill failed to pass the U.S. House of Representatives ! This bill included harmful and unnecessary changes to SNAP (food stamps) that would lead to more families struggling to put food on the table. It’s because of your efforts that this horrible bill failed on the floor of the House. THANK YOU! Here’s just a little bit of what you andother moms, dads, and concerned people did to speak out to protect SNAP: Number of people who signed our letter to Congress to protect SNAP that we delivered to every single member...

We are sounding the alarms. Now is the moment where we need you to speak out to protect the health and nutrition of children, moms, and low-income families! Moms, dads, and concerned voters have been speaking out by the thousands because we know how vital nutrition programs like SNAP (food stamps) are to struggling families. It’s time to turn up the volume. The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on a harmful, terrible, and unnecessary Farm Bill next week, which would put at risk the nutrition assistance of millions of people. We need you to speak out now! And we need you to show up…...

SNAP (also known as food stamps) is under attack!! Last week GOP leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee introduced a Farm Bill that would increase hunger and hardship by taking away—or cutting—food assistance from many struggling families, including children . This week they are starting debate on the bill. We have no time to lose! We need YOU to speak out now against this unnecessary and highly harmful proposal. ***SIGN OUR LETTER NOW! Tell the U.S. Congress to protect SNAP and protect our families and economy. Here’s what’s happening: Representative Conaway (...

Tax Day is coming up—April 17th! From this point forward Tax Day is going to look very different than those in the past few years. Yes, many of us will be making last minute trips to the post office to file our taxes but perhaps more important: We're realizing we were lied to and ignored by those who, led by the White House, pushed through the #TrumpTax plan. This is the first Tax Day since President Trump and GOP leader in Congress passed the largest tax plan in American history, ringing in with a price tag of $1.5 trillion-—and 83% of it went to mega-corporations, millionaires, and...

GOP leaders in the U.S. Congress want to pass unnecessary, harmful, and overly restrictive work requirement in order to access SNAP, which boosts our families and economy. Sign our letter NOW telling Congress "hands off SNAP!"

I have to tell you, I’m pretty fired up right now and as a fellow Michigander you should be too! Why? There is a bill moving through the Michigan State Senate right now that has the potential to take away the health care of millions of Michiganders . Medicaid is a proven program that lifts up our families in times of need—giving us much needed health care so that we can care for ourselves and our families. Join me in speaking out now for the health care of Michigan families! Medicaid expansion in Michigan received bipartisan support four years ago and it has been improving the lives of...

There are literal lifesavers around us that we can’t see! Wondering what I’m talking about? I’m talking about Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or food stamps). They are there when we need them, saving lives and boosting our economy. They are proven programs that lift up our families in times of need—giving us much needed health care and nutrition assistance so that we can care for ourselves and our families. Yet the Trump Administration and GOP leaders in the U.S. Congress are at it again—attacking our health care, nutrition, and housing in order to slash funding...

“I am a low-income single mom struggling to make a better life for myself and my little boy. We receive SNAP benefits. My son goes to a public elementary school. He gets a free lunch. I am working hard and trying to use these benefits as a stepping-stone and I am close but I have not yet been able to live independently without them. Without assistance like these, we would be struggling much more than we already are.” -Jessica **Moms like Jessica are not alone — and we need to let Congress know that too! In fact, 40.6 million people currently live in poverty and many of them depend on...

Republicans in the U.S. Congress decided they would rather shut down our government than make a deal that would provide stable funding for health insurance for children and protect DREAMers, immigrant young adults who have grown up in the U.S.! This heartless move puts at risk the health care of children, the lives of DREAMers, and the jobs of millions of government employees and thousands of government funded programs that our families rely on each day. This is no way to run a government! ***Sign our letter to the U.S. Congress now telling them to pass long-term funding for the Children’s...